Improvement in grapnels



latch' mi effet.

NATHANIEL P ALLEN AND .NATHANIEL E. ALLEN, or SALEM,

. MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 110,329, dated December 20, 1870; antedated December 7, 1870.

lMPRGVEM-ENT IN RAPN-ELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the s'a.tr1e .vr

.To allpersous fo'whom these plesents may come Be it known that we, NATHANIEL P. ALLEN and NAIHANIEL lE. ALLEN, oi' Salem, of thecounty oi' -Es'se'x and State of Massachusetts, have in ventcd an Improved Grapnel, to be used for catching up ropes,

chains, or cables when sunli'up'on the bottom of the sea orbody ofwater; and we do hereby declare the sameto be fully described as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, oi' whichv Figure 1 dcotes atop view, and Figure 2, a side elevation of the grapncl apparatus to be hereinafter explained.

' In' such drawing'- "A 'denotes a heavy shank or long weight, provided with two ground-prongs, a a, extended ii'omits front end atan acute angle i'rom one another, and level, or

about so, with the lower side of the shank.

An arm, or third or leading prong, b, is projected vfrom th said end of the'shank, and upward, Awith respeci: to the prongs a a, and from or near their juncl ---ion, in `manner as represented, this prong b terminating in or having an'eye, '0, provided with a ring, d.

Another -ring or staple, c, may be xcd to the shank just in rear of. the prongs.

A 1ie,j; fastened to the ring. or staple-e, is ledl through the ringd, a ball or 'veight, 7l, being,r fixed ou `or tothe line at ashort'distanee in advance of the grapn'el.

The purpose of the said ball is to enablea'scamau to know when-the grapncl is `fairly on the bottom of thcsea without being obliged to lift the whole grapnel and Y dump it to detern'iineas much.,

In using the grapncl, itis to be dragged by its line with its prongs foremost on the bottom of the sea, lake,'or river, or body of water from which it may be `desirable to catch or piek up a rope or cable.

O n the grapnel taking the rope or cable, the latter will-'bc drawn between the upper or leading prong and the two ground-prongs, and be caught thereby by being wedged between them.

As the leading prong. is somewhat shorter than either ofthe ground-prongs, should either or boththe latter be brought up against; arrobst'aele, the grapnel 

